NAIROBI, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) on Wednesday signed an agreement with the Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC) to boost the quality of cereals.

Gerald Masila, executive director of EACG, said that the agreement will also enhance market access and food security in the region.

"This engagement framework anchors on the need to promote more trade and better trade in safe food between Kenya and the region," Masila told journalists in Nairobi.

He said the two organizations will spearhead adoption and utilization of the harmonized East Africa standards for food and nutrition safety.

Masila said the partnership comes at the right time following concerns and warnings of unsafe levels of aflatoxin in several well-known brands of maize flour in Kenya.

Joseph Kimote, managing director of NCPB, said the partnership will boost trade in high quality and safe grains in Kenya and the wider eastern African region.

"The agreement will also provide impetus to sustainable solutions at the national and county level," said Kimote.

He said the agreement signifies a joint commitment and reflects a shared vision to ensure consistent implementation of EAC standards while suppressing post-harvest losses.

EAGC promotes structured trading system through the warehouse receipting systems and regional grain trading platform, while NCPB is Kenya's state corporation that trades commercially in grains, provides grain post-harvest services, deals in fertilizer and other farm inputs like seeds, and offers clearing and forwarding services.